Spatial Distribution of Bedding Attributes in an Open Compost-Bedded Pack Barn System with Positive Pressure Ventilation in Brazilian Winter Conditions
Carlos Eduardo Alves Oliveira,
Ilda de Fátima Ferreira Tinôco,
Victor Crespo de Oliveira,
Pedro Henrique de Moura Rodrigues,
Leonardo França da Silva,
Flávio Alves Damasceno,
Rafaella Resende Andrade,
Fernanda Campos de Sousa,
Matteo Barbari,
Gianluca Bambi
Affiliations
Carlos Eduardo Alves Oliveira
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
Ilda de Fátima Ferreira Tinôco
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
Victor Crespo de Oliveira
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
Pedro Henrique de Moura Rodrigues
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
Leonardo França da Silva
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
Flávio Alves Damasceno
Department of Engineering, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras 37200-900, MG, Brazil
Rafaella Resende Andrade
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Firenze, 50145 Firenze, Italy
Fernanda Campos de Sousa
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
Matteo Barbari
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Firenze, 50145 Firenze, Italy
Gianluca Bambi
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Firenze, 50145 Firenze, Italy
The objective of this study was to characterize the dependence and spatial distribution of bedding attributes in an open compost-bedded pack barn (CBP) system with positive pressure ventilation during the winter period in Brazil. The study was conducted in July 2021, in the Zona da Mata region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The bedding area (shavings and wood sawdust) was divided into a mesh with 44 equidistant points. At each point, the bedding temperature at the surface (tB-sur) and at a depth of 0.2 m (tB-20) and the air velocity at bedding level (vair,B) were measured, and bedding samples were collected. The bedding samples were used to determine the moisture level and pH at the surface (MB-sur e pHB-sur) and at a depth of 0.2 m (MB-20 and pHB-20). The spatial behavior of the variables was evaluated using geostatistics techniques. For all variables, the occurrence of strong spatial dependence was verified. Through the maps, it was observed that tB-sur, tB-20, MB-sur, MB-20, and vair,B showed high spatial variability, whereas pHB-sur and pHB-20 demonstrated low variation. On the surface, values of tB-sur B-sur > 60% were observed. At the subsurface, there was a predominance of tB-20 B-20 > 60%, and pH > 9, which are indications of low bedding composting activity.
